Scientists Harness Virtual Reality to Aid Oil Spill Cleanup Effort

We’ve looked at a number of possible cleanup solutions for the disastrous oil spill off the Gulf Coast — hair, underwater domes, and bacteria, to name a few. Now scientists are testing out virtual reality as a way to predict where the spill is going and determine the best way to clean it up. The Comprehensive Deepwater Oil and Gas Blowout Model ( CDOG) uses known information about deepwater spills to predict where the massive Gulf oil spill will disperse.

CDOG was designed by Poojitha Yapa, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Clarkson University. Users of the program can predict where oil will disperse and can even add virtual chemicals to see if they will spread the oil around or thin the slick. This spill is more difficult than most to predict, according to Yapa. But so far, CDOG predictions have proven accurate.

CDOG isn’t the only virtual reality method being used on the oil spill. Scientists at NOAA are using ocean current and wind direction models and simulations from the Naval Oceanographic Office and Texas A&M University to make effective containment plans. Of course, no virtual reality program can stop the spill — that’s up to the innovators on the ground.

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5 Comments

Joshlyn GoodwillMay 28, 2010 at 10:49 pm

My suggestion for the oil spill clean-up is to use palmolive dish detergent since it works well on grease or the same detergent that is used to clean-up the sea animals and birds. I think by appying a detergent solution to a oil spill sight, it would break it up and disolve it before it reaches the seashore.

katko1May 23, 2010 at 8:29 am

I suggest Brad gets his information to the USEPA, if has not done that yet.

katko1May 23, 2010 at 8:23 am

Hi, Brad. How long would it take to build and deploy your equipment?

Brad WehdeMay 16, 2010 at 9:27 am

WARNING ABOUT JUNK SHOT—- BIG RISK OF DISASTEROUS FAILURE!!!!!!!!!!!!
THESE “EXPERTS” SAY THERE IS NO RISK IF THIS FAILS >>>>NOT TRUE<<<<
Avoid potential disaster, Need help. The Gulf Oil Spill "Junk Shot". If BP uses this junk shot method and the junk gets stuck in the Riser instead of the BOP stack it has the potential to blow the riser apart with no way then to stop the oil.
I have been trying for BP to hear these 2 methods that I have to stop the leak.

Method 2 will cap the well by hydraulic means and seal the well 100%
If they do choose a junk shot and the riser blows out Method 2 is the only way to repair the damage but MUST BE IN PLACE BEFORE JUNK SHOT IS ATTEMPTED.http://www.wehdeinteractive.com/DeepwaterSolution3.html

Please hear this and help get this to the right people. They say they have the best minds on this but after almost a month we know this is not true.
I will be posting this warning where ever I can for it to be public knowledge and if anything goes wrong the blood is on BP's hands.

Sandra NicholsonMay 10, 2010 at 12:16 am

Man is so prideful. The mind of man will not allow him to beleive that he cannot fix the hole in the earth that is bleeding oil. I have a nagging doubt as to why the cement house did not work. Could it be that the pressure from the gushing oil blew the house off?